CFW2010 Photographic Bridal Highlights

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Enjoy these highlights from Saturday's Bridal Couture event, featuring designs from White, Belle Couture Bridal & Lela Foster Designs, Bella Vista Bridal Charleston, Maddison Row & Bella Bridesmaid, LulaKate, and the debut of featured designer Carol Hannah Whitfield's bridal collection.

Is white Passé? Weigh in on your thoughts of colored bridal gowns. Would you wear grey or yellow on your big day?

I love the textured gold fabric used by LulaKate! It's contemporary, but still incredibly classic.

Hot pink satin shoes are the perfect injection of color!

Carol Hannah Whitfield is unrestrained by wedding tradition. Jersey is intricately draped into bridesmaid dresses, but do you think jersey is formal enough? 

This dress reminds me of the corset-bodice gown Carol Hannah presented at Bryant Park!

Photos by Maggie Winterfeldt

Aloft Hotel, Eye Level Art, and Cavortress Throw Sexy Bash in North Chuck

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Charlestonians migrated to North Charleston Saturday night for a pre-fashion week soiree hosted by Aloft Hotel, Eye Level Art, and Cavortress.  Aloft’s urban-chic lounge was packed with a trendy set, ranging from familiar downtown faces to greater Charleston hipsters. Guests perused original art by Christopher Dotson, Julio Cotto, Brian Bustos and Scott Parsons and enjoyed a live graffiti installation in Aloft’s courtyard.  The climax of the event was the presentation of local designer Julie Wheat’s Cavortress Spring 2010 collection. 

Sensuous models playfully strutted across a makeshift runway that snaked through the bar's plush sitting areas. The spirited Marilyn-meets-Elvis collection was realized in a palette of hot pinks, reds, geometric black and white combos, and sassy leopard prints. In true rockabilly style, red lips, big breasts, and tattoos were the accessories du jour. Scanty swimwear—sure to raise more than a few eyebrows along the Sullivan’s Island shore—included one-pieces with plunging necklines, décolletage baring sweetheart tops, and ample butt cleavage. Standouts included curve-hugging, stretch-satin jumpsuits in long and short lengths, that seemed straight out of a romantic 1950s song and dance film.  

Satin pencil skirts—perfect for posing on the hood of a vintage Fiat—were updated with exposed zippers and popped when paired with a flirty belly-baring flutter top made of a floral 1940s silk blend. A full skirt made of black and white stripped vintage silk was overwhelming and dated in the full-length version, but proved seductive in a shorter length, where the translucency in the delicately shimmering fabric became more provocative. Perhaps the most wearable piece was a show-stopping gold bias-cut halter dress made of glistening 1970s leopard print silk lame—the filmy fabric seemed as if it would dissolve in the rain. The only things missing from this supremely fun night were roller skates and a car rally!  

Cavortress garments can be purchased online at: www.cavortress.com and start at $30 for tops, $90 for bathing suits and $285 for dresses. 

Best of Charleston: Carol Hannah Whitfield

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These days, Carol Hannah Whitfield, the lovable South Carolina pixie who nearly won last season's Project Runway, can't leave her New York City apartment without strangers asking to take her picture. But when she entered Charleston Fashion Week's Emerging Local Designer Competition two years ago, she was just another Charleston girl.

The self-taught designer's whimsical debut collection dazzled at Marion Square in 2008, giving her the confidence she needed to quit her day job and audition for season six ofProject Runway.


Whitfield made it onto the wildly popular reality show and captivated a national audience with her maturation from a timid coed into an unflappable design star — famously soldiering on after becoming terribly ill in the final challenge. Her feminine designs, Southern charm, and determination took her all the way to theProject Runway championship, where as one of three semi-finalists, she presented her collection at New York Fashion Week. . . 


Read the rest of my Charleston City Paper interview with Charlestonian and Project Runway semi-finalist Carol Hannah Whitfield  HERE

Confessions: Les Objets Que Je Désire

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As I shared in L'Object Desire - I Cheated and I'm Sorry, I have given up shopping for lent. It's painful., and since I cannot buy my Lust List, I have decided to share it: 

I cannot stop thinking about the Coffer Matelasse Hobo bag--it's stunning! During my recent visit to the Soho Miu Miu boutique, I was wowed by the extensive palette of soft spring colors the bag is available in. Plus, it features both a top handle and an of-the-moment messenger strap. Perfection! Is it cheating if I'll call the store and put it on layaway until Easter? That will at least give me time to start saving the $1,650 I'll need to buy the bag . . . 

I'm obsessed with the new chambray, which has gone from tacky to tailored in playful button downs. From left to right, my favs are the Vince Uneven Hem Shirt ($195), J.Crew Faded Chambray Shirt ($78) and the AG Adriano Goldschmied ($175) Vintage Work Shirt.

Finally, the cold weather has me lusting for a pair of short black Uggs ($140). While admittedly not particularly chic, they are about as cute as winter boots get and are undeniably fabulous at keeping feet cozy in the snow. Guess my toesies will just have to be cold for now.